tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60128848004165338712024-03-13T12:51:45.449-07:00Living Art LoudAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-35949357674019652692016-07-01T05:00:00.001-07:002016-07-01T05:00:16.410-07:00The Value of Value<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For this project, our goal was to learn more about value and saturation (which I will refer to as intensity.) Using some sort of tribal mask or a very strong geometric design, we set out to do two renditions. One using a triadic color harmony (3 colors equally spaced on the colorwheel) and the second using one of those colors gradually mixed with a gray of equal value.</div>
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I used a photo editing app on my phone to verify my values were equal by desaturating a photo of both my yellow-orange and gray and comparing the two. I made sure I had plenty mixed of each so I wouldn't run out while painting my scale and mask design. </div>
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Now, normally, I start with the lightest value and work my way to the darkest, but since my entire palette was the same value, things were a bit tricky. This is where I decided to look at the colors in terms of intensity when determining where to put what colors. The more intense colors (or true to the original yellow-orange mixture) stood out to the eye more, so I put it on focal points, like the lips, and the midrange colors seemed to recede more, so I put those around the eyes and other such places to still give the design that carved quality. While I would have liked to blend in shadows and add depth, this class did not allow it. It is what it is. Sometimes by limiting yourself, however, you still gain a better understanding of the basics you are working with.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iIYaBx9HlXVLTTeMDVt1asCXN44ZL9jlxKCD53RGnCxZb_jpME5IzucksWh59AfUs9UmQBMy-9LSImCtWuREiG47HytK1UHcLrU_W9Gn8gkVeZCernPmW-lB74v_bfPJDoS825zhI4cq/s1600/IMG_20160324_232903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iIYaBx9HlXVLTTeMDVt1asCXN44ZL9jlxKCD53RGnCxZb_jpME5IzucksWh59AfUs9UmQBMy-9LSImCtWuREiG47HytK1UHcLrU_W9Gn8gkVeZCernPmW-lB74v_bfPJDoS825zhI4cq/s320/IMG_20160324_232903.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern technology is awesome, and I used a photo editing app on my phone to mirror and convert the original to grayscale to check my values.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6IukiQioVGc2xbz3769yjghh4UJWwcn8s9TXDR1qV1hp2JgrgIjEWx4_eRqQ02IQK8xP9hruFsEemq0kJO7KKHsEfHQYbzzEXbv83_vI9LRitk7Cd3nQrT2KlHarhSUKwcryIXIbBoAbM/s1600/20160324_145549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6IukiQioVGc2xbz3769yjghh4UJWwcn8s9TXDR1qV1hp2JgrgIjEWx4_eRqQ02IQK8xP9hruFsEemq0kJO7KKHsEfHQYbzzEXbv83_vI9LRitk7Cd3nQrT2KlHarhSUKwcryIXIbBoAbM/s320/20160324_145549.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As usual, the drawings were laid out on bristol board.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-l9ybs_J_b1xkMG3lJskHr93yyEWhqb-6Y_YWDCgyMfuG51WnCoRIB8KTI_gd9mzYsN8GXngjFF1yWvk-lbGyU05NXxglq_jv6yTLibaN5CeNAj8Lu7Xkg-b6Joj29exLF4_g997iPK0i/s1600/20160412_200252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-l9ybs_J_b1xkMG3lJskHr93yyEWhqb-6Y_YWDCgyMfuG51WnCoRIB8KTI_gd9mzYsN8GXngjFF1yWvk-lbGyU05NXxglq_jv6yTLibaN5CeNAj8Lu7Xkg-b6Joj29exLF4_g997iPK0i/s320/20160412_200252.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvWnfrD4s3jt6IUyVZ5VJdIzmIVkH6xkVPxCSdJNARjujDtg3jRDc5X789eaqATVTmG1JgzG5wX3_ze7YrTEwUELGgr_FnIWV8OpT3T-zaOJ2sEyF1X1o1NXBau1EpstN-RksyZotrRYp/s1600/20160412_200241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvWnfrD4s3jt6IUyVZ5VJdIzmIVkH6xkVPxCSdJNARjujDtg3jRDc5X789eaqATVTmG1JgzG5wX3_ze7YrTEwUELGgr_FnIWV8OpT3T-zaOJ2sEyF1X1o1NXBau1EpstN-RksyZotrRYp/s320/20160412_200241.jpg" width="240" /> </a> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ifafo5MZBeoCZ7XI_HGpK_l_DtD_3mjd3iPQKIyLofjcD8he0Ozyb9z0kDy7bByGbzUvOAKOGY1cK5zn-PDa9xHBDQSM7sVsfF_30lMVOc-TWbWseRbOuAG-8L9ds3msbcLUmxdPwzAf/s640/20160412_200300.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While the value wasn't truly consistent, the project still worked. The higher contrast of the top piece made for a much more appealing and dynamic painting.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-76134617171635970712016-03-21T06:01:00.000-07:002016-03-21T06:01:59.224-07:00Ain't No Mountain High EnoughFirst off, I have no idea how I even came to choose this subject. The only stipulation for this project was to use complimentary colors. Perhaps it was just me fully embracing my adventurous side and going for another completely outside of my comfort zone pieces. Either way, I really loved painting this. I must say, it feels good to try something I have never considered myself even remotely good at, and end up with something so successful. Of course, there were hiccups, and there are some flaws, but as part of my fresh and freer approach to painting, I just let it go, and accept the piece for what it is.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VXnIpwkDibjrRI_h6BsYElY88Uis8Iayxl2yRSKcnZB2p9fFi-xpBLbZMwdVAdwt7GQxcp-1D-dlS7JnCTQ9UGeqvyDfRFT9iGrAuQkev7DxknLmlsWBLFgNPgDg2V-fkboiYrtVax4K/s1600/20160301_150757-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VXnIpwkDibjrRI_h6BsYElY88Uis8Iayxl2yRSKcnZB2p9fFi-xpBLbZMwdVAdwt7GQxcp-1D-dlS7JnCTQ9UGeqvyDfRFT9iGrAuQkev7DxknLmlsWBLFgNPgDg2V-fkboiYrtVax4K/s320/20160301_150757-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I started out with permanent yellow medium, straight out of the tube, the added dabs of violet to match the values of my reference photo. I wasn't trying to be exact. Remember, we are still working in shapes. No blending. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCA3hG5l6tAFR__0C-zN6ZHCm7pi_LKLoJqivUVE5lVFL5d6FhA0KK06HAZZtPMEOaSPEocrj6EQt5p7d1alGrOyR9X8Ywqs9S7E_zeiRDPOYb-ZgLtsepND8W8crKsX6GHZZFM8MAJVa8/s1600/20160303_145807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCA3hG5l6tAFR__0C-zN6ZHCm7pi_LKLoJqivUVE5lVFL5d6FhA0KK06HAZZtPMEOaSPEocrj6EQt5p7d1alGrOyR9X8Ywqs9S7E_zeiRDPOYb-ZgLtsepND8W8crKsX6GHZZFM8MAJVa8/s320/20160303_145807.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the scale, I went from permanent yellow medium and violet. I worked my way to a solid midpoint the same way as I did with the previous scales. For this one, however, I added white to another few swatches of the midpoint to show a nice beige tones.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0okYRG-47UXsQHldr7A1yXMX-TJ8rXTE2VxhOYJOAiEYD62ifaEn4W6tmPZJxXzevIPNi0A_4CzXstbBo4eiZ1bGvgGRc8iNguTdEqlEzyewCgg0-nAIdldaN4s8RI_M1c3GKMJe-Xsq/s1600/20160303_152724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0okYRG-47UXsQHldr7A1yXMX-TJ8rXTE2VxhOYJOAiEYD62ifaEn4W6tmPZJxXzevIPNi0A_4CzXstbBo4eiZ1bGvgGRc8iNguTdEqlEzyewCgg0-nAIdldaN4s8RI_M1c3GKMJe-Xsq/s320/20160303_152724.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">As I came to the foreground, I got into using the yellow mixed into violet shades to make sure it all stood out from the mountain. Normally, the darker values cause an object to appear further back, but with atmospheric perspective, it is generally those foggy tones making up the distance. For this sun soaked mountain, the higher key colors represented the light best.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7b5EePduZEcJret39ouz1tmC3Q228dDCGt6UOiHVDuzFfFCIowTfUKTm_3BJgjF8IVIAt9-ptaT2UCiLPynDganl6-uUHZP6OigcMv4oiaiWdzLctzPmCg4_HPVq-fbasLm0_fhkTChYk/s1600/20160303_202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7b5EePduZEcJret39ouz1tmC3Q228dDCGt6UOiHVDuzFfFCIowTfUKTm_3BJgjF8IVIAt9-ptaT2UCiLPynDganl6-uUHZP6OigcMv4oiaiWdzLctzPmCg4_HPVq-fbasLm0_fhkTChYk/s320/20160303_202022.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">That foreground was proving itself to be a bit difficult. Perhaps I should have worked out the different values on the reference first (like with the Johnny Cash portrait) Either way, I painted over the foreground with it's lightest value (which was still pretty dark) and started again.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNV3vIQHBMhjRTRkY16xQ0JgodLkWsAzCKleXFZqJ83Ao7WNmWZkj-VkIZKDuOCRvixQWVAPdVWyapMzJj_1mxKMENTeTYwPmzNtkFQK6l9HC9x_bunLY4E6hoZWbI_ugS72l1yovOwstU/s1600/20160303_204238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNV3vIQHBMhjRTRkY16xQ0JgodLkWsAzCKleXFZqJ83Ao7WNmWZkj-VkIZKDuOCRvixQWVAPdVWyapMzJj_1mxKMENTeTYwPmzNtkFQK6l9HC9x_bunLY4E6hoZWbI_ugS72l1yovOwstU/s320/20160303_204238.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Taking longer to rework the foreground on this piece, I ended up bringing it home to the studio.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkQbsddRAsRGnkM0TewukFzdu6Hln3s0YFbAI2VCtsbrrTX4dyXjEczgAXN9vmkYPH65aaKgBH-bniXYebPfqxHkkvOzLaD_paA0cFrXjWLOn1pS6wmtbZ8p0OJ6Qshaiw5zIT02Uixw1/s1600/20160303_224604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkQbsddRAsRGnkM0TewukFzdu6Hln3s0YFbAI2VCtsbrrTX4dyXjEczgAXN9vmkYPH65aaKgBH-bniXYebPfqxHkkvOzLaD_paA0cFrXjWLOn1pS6wmtbZ8p0OJ6Qshaiw5zIT02Uixw1/s320/20160303_224604.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">What made it tricky, was how dark the wet paint was. That splotch in the middle is actually the same color as what is immediately around it.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHsJ9RezdG-Emi2HqIAjqSfcwZIOJ9n0RNGA7uzV-2Tuy426eKlka5YJPtU80af0cp0xlToKEOtt7SC9-SMO9GrFULvkjbT-PT_OQPKGf15gGz_aQCWJo4ErGd6sylrM4p_ZFV65arY5I/s1600/20160303_225158-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHsJ9RezdG-Emi2HqIAjqSfcwZIOJ9n0RNGA7uzV-2Tuy426eKlka5YJPtU80af0cp0xlToKEOtt7SC9-SMO9GrFULvkjbT-PT_OQPKGf15gGz_aQCWJo4ErGd6sylrM4p_ZFV65arY5I/s320/20160303_225158-1.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finally making the large rocks look like rocks to my satisfaction, I used straight violet for the silhouettes of the climbers. While violet isn't the same value as black, the vibrancy of the figures makes them stand out almost as much as the mountain itself, without competing with it for attention.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-47430817492171061012016-03-14T05:00:00.000-07:002016-03-14T07:35:42.396-07:00Analogous Schmagalogous<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Third project. Analogous Color Harmony (3 or 4 colors next to each other on the color wheel)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sooo... this one was off to a rough start. We were told we couldn't do another portrait, and since I had already been working on a colored pencil drawing of a beautiful Maine Coon cat in an analogous color scheme, I figured I would try using the same reference for gouache. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bad idea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I found out the hard way that I have trouble letting go. I struggled to look past the subtle details of the cat's face and simplify it into shapes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I tried. I really did. I liked the colors for this subject; yellow, yellow green, green, and blue green, but breaking the reference into shapes was just making it look very unappealing to me. Perhaps I just jumped from pure yellow to such a rich yellow green too quickly, and would have gotten better results to capture the pattern of the fur without making it look too splotchy. Either way, this lesson was certainly hard learned, as it happens sometimes. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ugh</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickjJSESM_cXlCB1auRzBOS1ITsFaLAVlWiK9sb_gJrJgQf6DRO2n8r5URGCcbuRaEUVUvvCe2BNgWCIHXgijFHibCDd3bSJPC0SPSihyphenhyphenWFsTVJC4Mn-WMorOKIqyt43OPMhoqZXfSOspY/s1600/20160305_215434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At this point, I decided it best to move on. Rather than get upset and frustrated when a piece doesn't work out, just carry the lessons from it, and move past it. Don't dwell on or get discouraged when you realize something just isn't working. From here, I figured I might as well just leap as far from my comfort zone as I could get. I have pretty much always done portraits of some sort, so I decided to challenge myself with something completely different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Being a fan of Star Wars, and surrounded by my girlfriend's Pop! vinyl toys and wall hangings, I couldn't help but be inspired.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVOCEbX1AotGtqXYVe60saiczoM587vjmDZhkpRqVbbRRhc7qE2dW4FeKcUyHhVTrK5OvnDjqRZtzsweBl4EkXCPEQN95C3APxCxCp25veCtqd-Y31h3clVo5NrauuKh03zVXxMohCwDS/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVOCEbX1AotGtqXYVe60saiczoM587vjmDZhkpRqVbbRRhc7qE2dW4FeKcUyHhVTrK5OvnDjqRZtzsweBl4EkXCPEQN95C3APxCxCp25veCtqd-Y31h3clVo5NrauuKh03zVXxMohCwDS/s320/IMG_0373.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVOCEbX1AotGtqXYVe60saiczoM587vjmDZhkpRqVbbRRhc7qE2dW4FeKcUyHhVTrK5OvnDjqRZtzsweBl4EkXCPEQN95C3APxCxCp25veCtqd-Y31h3clVo5NrauuKh03zVXxMohCwDS/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>It also helps that X-Wings are simply awesome. haha<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6YOs8aUrgZwCs4wB5LsETJj_4jLJAcLdSi37Mw9sae878ginnuE2KkGMIVICE6iotBS-UsAD7sqCrwlbtkylXlhEWxsEU5-qEi1bK0W5oG0o41L8sogKA70hIIOIJ_kw90mbm7EcXIjh/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6YOs8aUrgZwCs4wB5LsETJj_4jLJAcLdSi37Mw9sae878ginnuE2KkGMIVICE6iotBS-UsAD7sqCrwlbtkylXlhEWxsEU5-qEi1bK0W5oG0o41L8sogKA70hIIOIJ_kw90mbm7EcXIjh/s320/IMG_0374.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpv22TPr7j_Vt69ZdPUb0yPbvUrLUQIcFfKtm5LiOm0cQEYLee80h3val8V4ddKRvPb90yBOb0PUoYAXY5xdgym_u1bqdjLHrzjVL2t8NkGfnbjKi_50BLJNGdpyDmnI21IcvL_fcnNXg/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpv22TPr7j_Vt69ZdPUb0yPbvUrLUQIcFfKtm5LiOm0cQEYLee80h3val8V4ddKRvPb90yBOb0PUoYAXY5xdgym_u1bqdjLHrzjVL2t8NkGfnbjKi_50BLJNGdpyDmnI21IcvL_fcnNXg/s320/IMG_0371.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't forget to spritz!!!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, with my composition laid out, I set out to do a 16 piece value scale that went from solid yellow, to orange, to red. I tried to be more subtle with my value changes this time, even though I was still using so many colors.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjShI77U-turp5_BrOWejs-g4b3Ea-CIG-diiiWZTSkM1Zc2DOyRWINxKbCnfMPMFVafm067ScOhF0wLqiaE2KcKzuUEobxtTvPpX76SmxO3vY_jEwM2r1f_o-xmHYJnPSz6GrW7RsoLBXb/s1600/IMG_0378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjShI77U-turp5_BrOWejs-g4b3Ea-CIG-diiiWZTSkM1Zc2DOyRWINxKbCnfMPMFVafm067ScOhF0wLqiaE2KcKzuUEobxtTvPpX76SmxO3vY_jEwM2r1f_o-xmHYJnPSz6GrW7RsoLBXb/s320/IMG_0378.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LyoNBGEx7287cCKvbXVopamb3BG0ADC7KEkloMKgOBNWxzLD7dSVKf4Iwopg3kISs7J42xQr3zq1n2_bJOBhX5_GS60tWTVslod-940ySYLAguoBMySTZenZrkpFJqm6Lq5iqO5sIDMg/s1600/IMG_0380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LyoNBGEx7287cCKvbXVopamb3BG0ADC7KEkloMKgOBNWxzLD7dSVKf4Iwopg3kISs7J42xQr3zq1n2_bJOBhX5_GS60tWTVslod-940ySYLAguoBMySTZenZrkpFJqm6Lq5iqO5sIDMg/s320/IMG_0380.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYA5fv2-bjWr94jSdhsFG3upozoRpxC45eQrulybcgnkBGgJy8B2cFo23HkahUgNNZIeCoRD_Mu67k0DE6Lybx9hI7Va22GSPPQPPEycszg8f_KXGVDsSix8KOPeLmBTqkHOzKQYpSzNt/s1600/IMG_0381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYA5fv2-bjWr94jSdhsFG3upozoRpxC45eQrulybcgnkBGgJy8B2cFo23HkahUgNNZIeCoRD_Mu67k0DE6Lybx9hI7Va22GSPPQPPEycszg8f_KXGVDsSix8KOPeLmBTqkHOzKQYpSzNt/s320/IMG_0381.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzPV_sUFU7WaSFF4jUB74iR1nhKfVS-o_u8Sr0C2jnqB8WSzyDvS1VYwBgw2XUiTtX7mLoOeebEBp9X5ieMcLYuAahf9gCcumy4aUVu6v8MYVuBpjXiJjrSuDvw36qvsSpEv3PJsjeUF_/s1600/IMG_0383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzPV_sUFU7WaSFF4jUB74iR1nhKfVS-o_u8Sr0C2jnqB8WSzyDvS1VYwBgw2XUiTtX7mLoOeebEBp9X5ieMcLYuAahf9gCcumy4aUVu6v8MYVuBpjXiJjrSuDvw36qvsSpEv3PJsjeUF_/s320/IMG_0383.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This time, I made sure to start from the brightest value and work my way up the scale steadily.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6HUshddf-5NWJLHGprm1VyeHS72OqK0KP3lS7ObahacotAJ1VCg91eavaYXOq-o9BCdqIryAJn6ECTAG61hpQqys3RNjorLraUyLEpCYbaRhnqK7WWV-Wrq4JQb_pAaNLbrmsH4b-LTp/s1600/IMG_0415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6HUshddf-5NWJLHGprm1VyeHS72OqK0KP3lS7ObahacotAJ1VCg91eavaYXOq-o9BCdqIryAJn6ECTAG61hpQqys3RNjorLraUyLEpCYbaRhnqK7WWV-Wrq4JQb_pAaNLbrmsH4b-LTp/s320/IMG_0415.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I kept my value scale right in front of me as I went through layers of color</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Working with subtle value changes from layer to layer, I found it was also easier going from light to dark when the layer underneath is already so similar. This allowed me to change values without having to pass the brush over an area more than once, even when working with diluted paint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, one might think </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">that you need black to get the best and boldest contrast. Here, it would have just changed the whole graphic pop vibe completely. This painting was fun to do, and it was good to get out of my element and really try something new.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Same as last time, trimmed final painting to an 8x8 square, then mounted it on Bristol board with my value scale. Now it is your turn. Try a subject you have never done before and run with it!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWNJi85P1I1Gs8Ndq5HUgDeGPxBY8WWSv3cNXLwMcaPvBM-FKXvhcRAdo3Jr3luUpRu-Exs-_2VZ8ZDO_xQbrVywU3UFMpVzBdFWAL4fPC96GZY5qC-9ksjNsmhqaGD2H3ur7YIT5JloY/s1600/20160305_224735_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWNJi85P1I1Gs8Ndq5HUgDeGPxBY8WWSv3cNXLwMcaPvBM-FKXvhcRAdo3Jr3luUpRu-Exs-_2VZ8ZDO_xQbrVywU3UFMpVzBdFWAL4fPC96GZY5qC-9ksjNsmhqaGD2H3ur7YIT5JloY/s320/20160305_224735_LLS.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickh-dN0mv0UFK-jtoQ7-ETeLQiZBYncrOJcnaJl6yw3J6RtkVb20lJb9jiavhf4sPuZej3WwaJLVwg_Ee-dI3s6JxK60jrSm0HHe9n-8TaajWtrmY4q3Vcsvoo5udWSksORXcKObP_bET/s1600/20160305_224852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickh-dN0mv0UFK-jtoQ7-ETeLQiZBYncrOJcnaJl6yw3J6RtkVb20lJb9jiavhf4sPuZej3WwaJLVwg_Ee-dI3s6JxK60jrSm0HHe9n-8TaajWtrmY4q3Vcsvoo5udWSksORXcKObP_bET/s400/20160305_224852.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">MATERIALS</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Designer's gouache (any combination of analogous colors, 3 or 4 )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Cyan Blue</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Ultramarine Blue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Permanent Red</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Magenta</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Permanent Green (middle)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Permanent Orange</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Permanent Yellow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Violet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> White</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Jet Black</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Straight edge ruler (at least 18" with cork backing)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bristol board 11x14</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tracing paper 11x14</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pencil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Watercolor brushes (varying sizes)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Artist-Acrylic-Spray-Bottle/dp/B004WQI4W4" target="_blank">Small spritz bottle</a> (optional, though I find it helps the paint lay more smoothly and give you a bit more work time)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Pallet knife</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pallet (disposable pad works great) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Value scale</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-8517367169842192662016-03-10T05:00:00.000-08:002016-03-11T07:11:41.489-08:00Finding Your Niche<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All the way back to some of my earliest writings in high school, I had this minor obsession with finding my niche, my specific talent or skill that I would be the master of. At first, I thought I would grow up to be this awesome screenwriter, bringing the likes of When Harry Met Sally to theaters on a regular basis. I was also in the Art Club, loved drawing portraits, but believed it when I was told that there was no future for me in art, so I fell away from it for a number of years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's not that I didn't believe I had skill or talent, I just saw being a working artist the same as being a working actor. The business of being a working artist just never appealed to me, and still doesn't. I just like to make art because I enjoy it, and enjoy giving it to people I care about. I have sold some of my artwork, because when the opportunity has presented itself, well, I do still have bills to pay, and it has allowed me to invest in more art supplies. There have also been times when I did make a mild effort to market myself as a working artist. I have always loved portraits, so decided that must be my elusive niche, I just have to work harder and focus on it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well, that took a lot of the joy of making art out of the art making process. I get distracted, and want to try something else. Even now, as a senior in college at the age of 35, I have a (let's call it eclectic) portfolio that I know doesn't really flow well. I was forced to make it a portrait portfolio, that went through several of the different mediums I have tried. I was told my portfolio should be more consistent, and that I should beef it up with more works with fewer mediums. I am still learning, because I want to learn so many things. That's the consistency of my portfolio. I was basically being told to force myself into a niche for the sake of my portfolio, even though my portfolio is supposed to be a representation of myself as an artist. See what I am getting at here?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well, having learned to let go and accept that I don't have or need to specialize in any one subject or medium, I have freed myself from that feeling of lacking that I carried for so long. I prefer not to try to pigeon hole myself any longer. I am in no way saying that someone who does have a specialty is in any way holding themselves back from trying new things. I just finally understand what kind of artist <i>I </i>am. Having embraced this, I am now thoroughly enjoying challenging myself with each new painting to try something completely new. A few weeks ago I painted an X-Wing, and most recently tried a mountain scene (these project reflections will be posted in the coming weeks.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am currently working on my BFA. My minor is psychology. It took me nearly 10 years as an adult to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I love making art, and sharing it with other people. While I was deployed in 2011 I jokingly referred to my time drawing as art therapy. Turned out Art Therapy is a real thing, and now I am roughly halfway toward my goal of becoming an Art Therapist. My niche was never a specific subject, style, or medium, but a way of making whatever kind of art I want, and use art itself as a medium to help others. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-46756522103205377742016-03-07T05:00:00.000-08:002016-03-07T07:36:47.686-08:00Man in Black: A Monochromatic Study in Gouache <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Color Theory. Studying monochromatic color harmony in gouache. Having chosen a portrait of middle aged Johnny Cash, I felt Ultramarine Blue best captured him. Now, for the assignment, I had to print the original image, then use tracing paper to separate the basic shapes made by the different values. Some people just opened the image in Photoshop and hit "posterize." In art school you hear a lot about focusing on the shapes, not the whole image. This certainly helps in the beginning, when a student is breaking down value, tone, shade, and color harmony; learning to recognize them and be able to break them down. Many are also advised this way when they are intimidated by the subject of the assignment, such as a portrait, initially disheartening themselves by believing already that they have no talent for faces. These same students are also often told to work on their piece upside down, so they can look past the face and see the shapes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8SNq-cPcaFUpv0FubyTZM_FKGmYB8_LJ9GgEJmHflwTDnQD6zrmkZbX7t0BcCYF73IofxxMIyXYdef_5MO4TiLBWLpo5qEAp81hni7I7-EBpgT0a_9ahiTVLcvHM9j7Z8oqb-jCSYOvv/s1600/IMG_0365.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8SNq-cPcaFUpv0FubyTZM_FKGmYB8_LJ9GgEJmHflwTDnQD6zrmkZbX7t0BcCYF73IofxxMIyXYdef_5MO4TiLBWLpo5qEAp81hni7I7-EBpgT0a_9ahiTVLcvHM9j7Z8oqb-jCSYOvv/s320/IMG_0365.JPG" /></a></div>
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The biggest deal with this project is the value scale. On either end you have black and white. Somewhere in the middle lies your chosen color straight out of the tube. I like sticking with an 8x8 inch final painting, so use 16 1/2 inch strips where I steadily mixed white into the blue, then blue to white, until I reached a smooth transition from white to the solid blue. I then approached the black in exactly the same way. I also did a separate scale using just black and white.<br />
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From here, I looked for the shapes on my reference photo and assigned them a value by comparing them to my scale.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfseZwVqfUAY9FyojsQ143fbrvq1AaG3oubRDJO-AAbi86dMML-1J17NcTIrNmuSgp4p5ub27i5qPf4YO89zS8d7EvUR0ZPfetjMl9kXDRXp8Meks7KmJiwHBOQnfxm_oTHOYwSLTXPFW/s320/IMG_0360.JPG" /><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMVZeLQb89QnBX3U8mzWXcqur4WQLB-59UKh_jNch9Dyizz3R0KZCLPOYiVfL6l9rOGlDItHpeNwl4tCsLEBrEBdrgcPpJPNCMg8CMAJNTAk_lUuC3vEfJEGd1WDN3aJWsMLI_oXpvqmM/s320/IMG_0358.JPG" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckrXNp2b9FbzUJLegxJb5NaE-Ya47Y6_2V409CU-fyaTmbuHBIIrrwkXErk07ZaPmL5133ywFGW3FuE5YL58M58JGvKnZqZLOn4esZBdRixKyDIiN3B3iWKn-8J9GW6eCgy6WVZK67Yd4/s1600/12651251_10153364111333597_3546699126142830967_n.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckrXNp2b9FbzUJLegxJb5NaE-Ya47Y6_2V409CU-fyaTmbuHBIIrrwkXErk07ZaPmL5133ywFGW3FuE5YL58M58JGvKnZqZLOn4esZBdRixKyDIiN3B3iWKn-8J9GW6eCgy6WVZK67Yd4/s320/12651251_10153364111333597_3546699126142830967_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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Approaching my first real painting in gouache, I was unsure where to begin. Accustomed to watercolor, one would start with the lightest value, then work toward the darkest. For oil, it is the opposite. I eventually decided to start with my blue straight from the tube, which turned out to be my median value and, coincidentally, the dominant value as well. It didn't take long to discover this wasn't the best approach, but I had already started, so I just continued on testing darker on top of lighter value and visa versa to see how well they did or didn't layer. It's funny, because I was working on my first vector portrait in my Digital Art class at the same time, and ended up running into the same problem. With the vector piece, however, it wasn't nearly as big a deal to start over and work straight from light to dark. The lighter values simply weren't opaque enough since I was working with more watered down paint. I tested the strictly light to dark approach on my next project with great success. I wasted considerably less paint to boot, since I was just adding color to my initial mix.<br />
The highlights on this were not as clean as I had wanted, since some ended up on top of darker values and I had to layer several times for some and ended up making them larger shapes than they should have been and began to show more brush strokes and look sloppy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VzOXq-0EXTl2Rvo8LB32-PYmSOJTSY5tum1IISRy6BZ7xvcPzp4XmKVX3NFakslgMXF14UYZfhRPf3lDxU4pzmfVTax4uFByZiD-0Q9lFtSAibY_OCOnEL4YV-V_MWhWPPjZv4QkDOzq/s1600/12642568_10153364450633597_5873616710359944639_n.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VzOXq-0EXTl2Rvo8LB32-PYmSOJTSY5tum1IISRy6BZ7xvcPzp4XmKVX3NFakslgMXF14UYZfhRPf3lDxU4pzmfVTax4uFByZiD-0Q9lFtSAibY_OCOnEL4YV-V_MWhWPPjZv4QkDOzq/s320/12642568_10153364450633597_5873616710359944639_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b7_kV7UOFosuch2dqlXbjXDO3Dck3EW8lnVag1uA40L2k_AgIX5JxdihVJcWnut-MJiiz2sRfMJlKD6_rPEUD5OCY_AXzQqmHq60mfsrwVLzzPOH5wvO72sT40fp_XcBoRzXAfg-ShMb/s1600/12647382_10153364453558597_2196106355132028031_n.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b7_kV7UOFosuch2dqlXbjXDO3Dck3EW8lnVag1uA40L2k_AgIX5JxdihVJcWnut-MJiiz2sRfMJlKD6_rPEUD5OCY_AXzQqmHq60mfsrwVLzzPOH5wvO72sT40fp_XcBoRzXAfg-ShMb/s320/12647382_10153364453558597_2196106355132028031_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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I am still satisfied with the final result as a first piece. This was definitely a learning experience. Bear that in mind when trying this project for yourself. Enjoy the experience, and don't be too hard on yourself. This is merely a familiarity exercise.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnxDmyX5ZkKoa8jXU3tvdmnp9EIZ06dzjipeA_lsQEYd0nC2-urLaW0sDbIDpGphcYf8T0wrMupUwKr0iA4v8MdgYnE3WMRRb6gJpCS2IpQtlFUyaLMip83v8ylr1Gh-MLps55ijZJDVp/s1600/IMG_0368.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnxDmyX5ZkKoa8jXU3tvdmnp9EIZ06dzjipeA_lsQEYd0nC2-urLaW0sDbIDpGphcYf8T0wrMupUwKr0iA4v8MdgYnE3WMRRb6gJpCS2IpQtlFUyaLMip83v8ylr1Gh-MLps55ijZJDVp/s400/IMG_0368.JPG" /></a><br />
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After cutting out the painting itself into an 8x8 square, I lined up my value strips and trimmed them to 2" pieces and mounted them neatly on a sheet of 11x14 Bristol board.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpmLmnKooaUSt4Ej7-r6KD_4O6H09IbO24BxeiClKhf5xU07GM6p9OmFMmGgXcF2FnIqderNF4mwO21RyY09TQI2WIV6FCYeXitsNke6NdjXHbc3ULJ9AZqe0RREBsUOnMPBImJSaEKwG/s1600/12719372_10153381024063597_6268442154218554481_o.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpmLmnKooaUSt4Ej7-r6KD_4O6H09IbO24BxeiClKhf5xU07GM6p9OmFMmGgXcF2FnIqderNF4mwO21RyY09TQI2WIV6FCYeXitsNke6NdjXHbc3ULJ9AZqe0RREBsUOnMPBImJSaEKwG/s400/12719372_10153381024063597_6268442154218554481_o.jpg" /></a><br />
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MATERIALS<br />
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Designer's gouache (any primary or secondary color works best )<br />
Cyan Blue<br />
Ultramarine Blue<br />
Permanent Red<br />
Magenta<br />
Permanent Green (middle)<br />
Permanent Orange<br />
Permanent Yellow<br />
Violet<br />
White<br />
Jet Black<br />
Straight edge ruler (at least 18" with cork backing)<br />
Bristol board 11x14<br />
Tracing paper 11x14<br />
Pencil<br />
Watercolor brushes (varying sizes)<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Artist-Acrylic-Spray-Bottle/dp/B004WQI4W4">Small spritz bottle</a> (optional, though I find it helps the paint lay more smoothly and give you a bit more work time)<br />
Pallet knife<br />
Pallet (disposable pad works great)<br />
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Value scale<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-19696361388463843452016-03-04T16:40:00.000-08:002016-03-07T07:39:44.352-08:00A Valuable StudyGouache seems kind of like an in between of watercolor and acrylic, neither of which I am an expert in, but I have more experience using watercolor. For this project, the journey was our main purpose. We merely had to mix the colors and see what we got.<br />
Our<b><u> initial step</u></b> was to create 6 thumbnail sketches of designs. The shapes could be organic or geometric, so long as you ended up with about 50 separate shapes. I laid out 6 4x4 inch squares on a sheet of Bristol board and headed to the library for inspiration. I prefer to leaf through hefty art books to clicking around on Google any day. Of course, the design I chose to work from was actually inspired by the layout of hardwood flooring (I do work at a hardware store, after all.)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsldOPOh_unCbC8R_vba17INo4Cpux0gTxwiRTI5WwcoMvLvy2Z52WP7fgWSUd2u-mf2bWxLafytcYLHEObxu_UagJNdU7-szA5LhyphenhyphenjUiblKTSioUP0j0AkNoxOv5v1Wx3YPA9-eW9qq5/s1600/IMG_0363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsldOPOh_unCbC8R_vba17INo4Cpux0gTxwiRTI5WwcoMvLvy2Z52WP7fgWSUd2u-mf2bWxLafytcYLHEObxu_UagJNdU7-szA5LhyphenhyphenjUiblKTSioUP0j0AkNoxOv5v1Wx3YPA9-eW9qq5/s320/IMG_0363.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also felt a little Yellow Brick Road vibe here. lol</td></tr>
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<b><u>Step 2</u></b> was to then finalize the design on a sheet of tracing paper that we were to use for our painting. I decided on an 8x8 inch final piece, so set up my design just a little bit larger. I have learned through working with Adobe Illustrator that this is referred to as a "bleed," not to be confused with a watercolor bleed.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gRCajfWz-vecwAxC8wupRSecezRSHnq0n3v71KYFzGjbOmiSOisxvGds7WrUdbqSgAZAS1HHlflHoLfiXAlQHq-WLQvun12B9T7bYg6DclwnnPEbQAOzZ6K57RBJGXXoJvxgfbl2_l61/s1600/IMG_0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gRCajfWz-vecwAxC8wupRSecezRSHnq0n3v71KYFzGjbOmiSOisxvGds7WrUdbqSgAZAS1HHlflHoLfiXAlQHq-WLQvun12B9T7bYg6DclwnnPEbQAOzZ6K57RBJGXXoJvxgfbl2_l61/s320/IMG_0361.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I felt this final design was a bit more interesting.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">I changed up the design by bringing the vanishing point to about 1/3 of the way down and 2/3 of the way to the right. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds" target="_blank">rule of thirds</a> can apply to any composition, and my portfolio shows my obvious preference for placement in these 1/3, 2/3 sweet spots. We will get more in depth with the Rule of Thirds as we get more into composition.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">For this piece, I merely used a ruler to draw lines radiating from my vanishing point, then placed alternating lines between them to create shapes. Be sure to draw lightly so you can completely cover the graphite with the paint. Yellows are very translucent, and you don't want pencil marks showing through. When using gouache, any decent watercolor brush will do. I use a variety of different brands, but mostly stick with my <a href="http://www.winsornewton.com/na/shop/brushes/for-water-colour/cotman-brushes/cotman-brush-series-111-round-short-handle-size-4-brush-5301004" target="_blank">Windsor & Newton</a> size 4 round. The paint I am using is <a href="https://turnercolourworksltd.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Turner</a>'s acrylic gouache, available at<a href="http://www.jerrysartarama.com/" target="_blank"> Jerry's Artarama</a>. If there is ever anything specific I can't find at Jerry's, I can always find it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art/b/ref=nav_shopall_fine_art?ie=UTF8&node=6685269011" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. For this project, we are strictly mixing colors straight from the tube with other colors- no black or white. I have listed all necessary materials below.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">This project is strictly for familiarity and experience. Don't worry about the design so much as pay attention to how the colors play together and lay on the paper. This was my first time using gouache as well, so the pictures show my lack of experience with it. It dries much faster than I expected, so I started spritzing my paint on the pallet regularly, though had to learn to lay the paint on thick to keep it opaque. The nice thing about continuously adding water, however, is that it also virtually eliminates brush marks and leaves the painting nice and smooth. I was worried that gouache would be chalky and awful, but was pleasantly surprised to find it has a nice velvety feel instead. So, paint away. Have fun with this one and get acquainted with this versatile medium!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsldOPOh_unCbC8R_vba17INo4Cpux0gTxwiRTI5WwcoMvLvy2Z52WP7fgWSUd2u-mf2bWxLafytcYLHEObxu_UagJNdU7-szA5LhyphenhyphenjUiblKTSioUP0j0AkNoxOv5v1Wx3YPA9-eW9qq5/s1600/IMG_0363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNmkOKtZOh_vXj3faDz-G618XPs0tY0QZbTlh_IQq0f8joz3vypvZnFN6XMKy5Ip56-87g79a5XKCVwkiJRtk1-jyo6iVGYYAmBTvP2NoYDVsHr_6kCRCQUNM1FabRuQi4I31Y3j0DLko/s1600/IMG_0356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNmkOKtZOh_vXj3faDz-G618XPs0tY0QZbTlh_IQq0f8joz3vypvZnFN6XMKy5Ip56-87g79a5XKCVwkiJRtk1-jyo6iVGYYAmBTvP2NoYDVsHr_6kCRCQUNM1FabRuQi4I31Y3j0DLko/s320/IMG_0356.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupNT9v-IuD8SYjMWgGYfllB9E9BXELrGZWT79ZF9Ii5XRg_e67MOBRR3_t76k0oZNN4TOxjCbYw49y8qQXrgQdqjJgI5JuWudgDYSbv6cft545dCK3wO8VZK_EGst7bT8064exWcnS2c0/s1600/IMG_0357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupNT9v-IuD8SYjMWgGYfllB9E9BXELrGZWT79ZF9Ii5XRg_e67MOBRR3_t76k0oZNN4TOxjCbYw49y8qQXrgQdqjJgI5JuWudgDYSbv6cft545dCK3wO8VZK_EGst7bT8064exWcnS2c0/s320/IMG_0357.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVRF7at_ZgbsfEAfEXgRYoj9b8a23U14FJaroG4n9ZzWZtD7It6ZsDOiDDry84TOmM-7Tc5glOi8CMs2mTOnsxJDrhxTMNHuP9VVej3TbjBRP80ng-6dfvrj6-VGkRWOvS0ofN3pf_iME/s1600/IMG_0355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVRF7at_ZgbsfEAfEXgRYoj9b8a23U14FJaroG4n9ZzWZtD7It6ZsDOiDDry84TOmM-7Tc5glOi8CMs2mTOnsxJDrhxTMNHuP9VVej3TbjBRP80ng-6dfvrj6-VGkRWOvS0ofN3pf_iME/s320/IMG_0355.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b><u>MATERIALS</u></b><br />
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Designer's gouache (other colors are optional, but not necessary)<br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cyan Blue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Ultramarine Blue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Permanent Red</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Magenta</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Permanent Green (middle)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Permanent Orange</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Permanent Yellow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Violet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Straight edge ruler (at least 18" with cork backing)</span><br />
Bristol board 11x14<br />
Tracing paper 11x14<br />
Pencil<br />
Watercolor brushes (varying sizes)<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Artist-Acrylic-Spray-Bottle/dp/B004WQI4W4" target="_blank">Small spritz bottle</a> (optional, though I find it helps the paint lay more smoothly and give you a bit more work time)<br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Pallet knife</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pallet (disposable pad works great) </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-29973257505121377392016-02-18T12:06:00.000-08:002016-02-18T12:06:11.108-08:00Out With the Old<div dir="ltr">
Impromptu overhaul of the studio has put a pause on any actual work getting done in there for the moment.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidH7D6hRUbQaCi8mxeq5Npo2eohx3tPjotf7shegrYrN1FoBCBk2jy6RPVSKw73s-A4jPwmP9NoNY-r4e_boCN6nWKC8aR2GMwBhFDc7LB-shgwX77Fj6Zw88AUwTX1u4JABG8ta7F3PvK/s1600/12670197_10153364904523597_7936318405907055862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidH7D6hRUbQaCi8mxeq5Npo2eohx3tPjotf7shegrYrN1FoBCBk2jy6RPVSKw73s-A4jPwmP9NoNY-r4e_boCN6nWKC8aR2GMwBhFDc7LB-shgwX77Fj6Zw88AUwTX1u4JABG8ta7F3PvK/s320/12670197_10153364904523597_7936318405907055862_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yeah, it was mostly for the cats. Haha.</div>
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Plenty of painting at school, however. No matter how fundamental, every art class can teach any artist. This semester I am taking another, more comprehensive, color class where I am using gouache for the first time.<br />
Now, I have this aversion to flat, chalky paint, so you can imagine my initial feelings towards it. Full time job, cat rescue, and full class schedule make it difficult to do any extracurricular experiments, but I will try to carve out some time over the next week as I work on my class project (monochromatic portrait of Johnny Cash) to test out some ideas. <br />
So far all I have done with, it is a couple of value scales. I will be posting detailed tutorials here soon of each of my projects. I have also started up a page on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/SarahSpalsbury" target="_blank">Patreon</a> that I will often link back to my blog on as well. I am currently backtracking a bit to start my entries chronologically from the first project. I wouldn't call these tutorials so much as just a documentation of my learning experience. These will serve as a reflection on my process and the project as a whole, and I am offering these reflections to anyone else looking to try their hand at any of these sorts of projects that I will be working on throughout my academic career and beyond.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-63255405449560176452016-01-11T22:05:00.001-08:002016-01-11T22:05:37.654-08:00Staying Motivated in the New Year. Again.There always seems to be a large gap between collections of entries. The past year has been pretty hectic. Running a cat rescue through your home is no joke. Cute cute cute, and very time consuming. Now we are down to just three adults that have decided to stay, and one lovey Mama who will be going to her forever home at the end of the week.<br />
In other exiting news, Spring semester starts tomorrow, and I am looking forward to two studio classes- Color Theory and Intro to Digital Art. While these are essentially repeats, the classes I took at TCC were credited to electives, and these are a bit more specific. Either way, it will feel good to be back in the studio (and not just because mine is covered in cat fur. lol) I also came across this awesome site for professional readers. This will be especially awesome when DJS becomes more than just a business plan.<br />
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<img alt="Professional Reader" height="80" src="https://s2.netgalley.com/badge/cc945e96db49e2c24a48538d2a5c3927e2bbaa57" title="Professional Reader" width="80" /><br />
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I have also finally broken down and ordered a few varieties of colored pencils, which will be arriving over the next few weeks, and I plan on testing thoroughly and sharing my findings here in detail. I have read so many reviews and watched other people's videos where they have compared products, and maybe it is because I am looking for something so specific, but I just haven't found any to be conclusive for me to invest hundreds of dollars into any one brand. I will probably just pick and choose, then use them all just like I do every new medium I come across anyway. :/<br />
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I have been continuing on a portrait series lately, so will leave you with my latest.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-40203832918758406102015-01-17T21:37:00.001-08:002015-01-18T05:57:51.207-08:00Ugh<div dir="ltr">
Day 17. <br />
I was catching up from yesterday so decided to do two sketched of the same subject. For these I sought to do them both badly, but in different ways. For the first one I used a pen (something in itself I personally never do) and proceeded to start with the mouth of my kitten and work from feature to feature. The result was disproportionate and askew. </div>
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For the second one I laid out the shape of the face and then filled in the features. I did them both quickly and without really stopping to check accuracy. The second result was a better shape and accurate features, but only separately. Put them together and the spacing is off.<br />
With a goal of improving on my ability to quickly lay out a portrait, I wanted to see what does and doesn't work for me. I mostly use a grid to assure accuracy in my work, but want to be able to sharpen my eye for things so as not to need it and have more confidantly done pieces drawn from life. It pains me to publish these crappy sketches, but it's all a learning process, and I'd rather stay humble than pretend everything comes out perfectly the first time.</div>
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I have also been working on a watercolor commission of a full body cat. I was up to the challenge and have so far drawn it 3 times before being satisfied. I am currently at a standstill with the color as I have little extra time and it will take a solid single session to get the main fill. The cat is black, and being just over 5x7, will take just the right brushstrokes to make it work. With four little rescue kittens currently running rampant in the studio, things can be tricky, but at least I am never without inspiration. </div>
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<u>Day 4</u></div>
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I have recently been catching up on Sherlock. Being winter break with my regular shows and taking off a semester of school, I actually have a bit of time to finally check out some of the shows I have been missing. So, having been thoroughly <i><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sherlocked&defid=6375969" target="_blank">Sherlocked </a></i>for the day, I of course had to do today's sketch of Benedict Cumberbatch. Having never been one for sketching and laying down a quick and solid foundation of a drawing, I ran out of time before I had much more than his eyes in place. <a href="http://www.picturedraw.co.uk/Sketching%20versus%20Drawing.htm" target="_blank">Too much drawing, not enough sketching.</a> My problem has always been focusing too much on the details from the jump, instead of the whole shape. This is one of the main areas I am trying to fix by doing this project. I figure a few months down the line I will revisit this reference and see if I have made the improvements I am hoping for.</div>
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<u>Day 5</u><br />
Spent all day at work, was so tired, and it was 11pm. No sketch yet. I initially thought of <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=vintage+toys&rlz=1C1CHNQ_enUS556US557&biw=1280&bih=712&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=LAisVM2CA4ycNtGFgtgC&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ" target="_blank">vintage toys</a>, like my oil <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152527563323597&l=2d552e51c3" target="_blank">painting </a>from last semester. Well, I ended up looking through images of vintage trucks. There is a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77654877@N04" target="_blank">photographer </a>I discovered through <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">Deviant Art</a> years ago who is awesome, so I thought I would try something different. Of course, last night I couldn't think of his name, so settled for what I could find. Eh, maybe I need to make my time limit 15 minutes instead of 10? I have only been using a basic B drawing pencil for my sketches so far since I just carry the book around to work and stuff. I'm thinking tonight I might add a splash of color. :)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-91223199598824291312015-01-03T18:53:00.000-08:002015-01-03T18:53:44.851-08:00There Is No OwlI didn't really know what to expect from myself when I set my Sketch A Day goal. I guess I assumed the same thing would happen that always does when I think about having to sketch something- I dread it. As it turns out, I spent my time in the bath this evening finally reading the copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Once-Future-Terence-Hanbury-White/dp/0441627404" target="_blank">The Once and Future King</a> that I had purchased no less than 8 years ago and my mind wandered to what I might sketch tonight. One of the rules i had set was "No planning," but I don't think this really counted since I was already counting on knocking out today's page right after my bath.<br />
I found I was looking forward to tonight's page, thinking about how much I loved the Disney version of King Arthur and used to play the <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/Disney-VHS-Lot" target="_blank">vhs </a>tapes at night and pause them to sit and draw it out on a large sheet of drawing paper on the coffee table (I should dig this out of my box in the attic just for nostalgia). Being eager to do any sketching is definitely not something I expected. I know it's only day 3, but I am starting to believe I may actually get to enjoy this project. It's definitely nice not having to worry about homework and deadlines for a change and just throw down whatever image interests me. Today it was Archemedes, Merlyn's owl.<br />
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I pulled T.H. White's book down from the attic the other day when I was going through some boxes. I also happened across a small journal my best friend had sent me for my 30th birthday. It would seem it all had perfect timing, so now I am also using the journal for my sketches since it is nice and small. The paper is also handmade and toothy, so I like it much better than the bristol board I was using earlier. I don't know how people can draw on such a smooth surface. It was horrible for just doing quick sketches.</div>
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Another day down. I am looking forward to where tomorrow will take me.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-41054936218813215792014-12-31T22:40:00.001-08:002014-12-31T22:40:46.278-08:00Sketch A Day 2015<p dir=ltr>It has been long established that I am bad at keeping a Sketchbook. I have been since high school. For this past semester oil painting class I had to keep a book updated with regular assignments. Honestly, I did half of them the day before I turned it in. <br>
So, why I am I setting a goal to complete a sketch every day for the next 365 days? I see the benefit of sketching, and now that I am taking a semester off and won't necessarily 'have' to sketch regularly (Yes, the "having to" part makes a big difference for me) I am taking it upon myself to learn and grow by doing unplanned daily sketches that I will not let be the detailed portraits that often take up so much time and frustration because I am a perfectionist. <br>
My main goal with this project is to learn to let go (stop thinking of Frozen, that was so 2014) When i do any sort of drawing or art project, i know ahead of time that have at least several hours of work ahead of me. I often envy the quick and confidant strokes of many artists. I get caught up in the details, and while it all comes together in the end, I would like to broaden my scope by practicing quicker techniques and different subjects.<br>
For this project I will also have to accept the fact that much of What I share will be crap, but I will share it anyway because no one is perfect and I am setting a time limit of 10 minutes each to keep myself from overlooking like I am prone to doing. Be prepared for lots of cats, faces, and hopefully a few non-boring sketches over the next 365 days. I'm starting off with Koopa wishing everyone a Happy New Year. She wouldn't stay still, so I had to take a picture for reference :/ </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TwVAgUfutsY/VKTr6rGbecI/AAAAAAAABE8/fnA5uJLAq-Y/s1600/IMG_20150101_002210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TwVAgUfutsY/VKTr6rGbecI/AAAAAAAABE8/fnA5uJLAq-Y/s640/IMG_20150101_002210.jpg"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-30902592471762365762014-10-16T11:23:00.000-07:002014-10-16T11:23:54.439-07:00Portrait- Video Review Yeah yeah yeah, so I tend to use my blogs for doing homework. I usually do so on a different one, but I am going to try to just use this one from now on- mainly because more and more of my papers will be art- related anyway. I am taking an oil painting class this semester, and have to write a review on a video, any video that's relative. Well, if any of you are in college, you may be aware of <a href="http://digital.films.com/Dashboard.aspx" target="_blank">Films On Demand</a>, which is an awesome resource for free educational films. I went through and, while I found many that looked interesting, watched <a href="http://ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=10233&xtid=7768" target="_blank">Portrait</a>- a film documenting UK artist <a href="http://www.taishanschierenberg.com/" target="_blank"><span id="247689_21760_22330" m="22330">Tai-Shan</span> </a><span id="247689_21760_22750" m="22750"><a href="http://www.taishanschierenberg.com/" target="_blank">Schierenberg</a>'s portrait of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoker_Cavendish,_12th_Duke_of_Devonshire" target="_blank">Lord Hartington</a>. </span><br />
<span m="22750"> The film was only just under 30 minutes, so it flowed smoothly and went through Tai-Shan's entire process, from his initial call to set up the meeting with his sitter, to the presentation of the finished portrait. Narrated by the artist himself, you feel intimately into his studio. We start out with Tai-Shan leaving his modest apartment and soon arriving at <a href="http://www.chatsworth.org/" target="_blank">Chatsworth House</a>, a beautiful estate that also holds one of the most extensive private art collections in Britain. Tai-Shan begins with just two three-hour sessions where he initially paints his subjects head and face only and then photographs the sitter in various poses to use as reference for a full body painting.</span> I was surprised to see that he made no other notes and drew no sketches while with his subject.<br />
Back in the studio, Tai-Shan spends the next month on the large painting (approximately 4x6'.) Tai-Shan sits in a chair at the back of his studio, often staring and contemplating the progress of his portrait. He continuously scrapes the paint away that had portrayed the Duke's face and repainting it. His brushstrokes tend to be large and sweeping. His subjects hands are very large, as the artist admits he has a tendency to do, and he leaves them that way. The final portrait is quite serious and rather formal, despite the quick and casual style Tai-Shan has with his brush. Stoker Cavendish feels in the end that his tie is quite nice, and it is hard to be objective when presented with a larger than life portrait of oneself. <br />
This video offered a nice peak into the day to day of a portrait artist. He mentions the fact that about 50% of his portraits are either disliked by the sitter or their spouse, as they most likely had an image of what it should look like already in mind. Painting royalty has changed greatly since Van Dyck and the days of Henry VIII. History buff, art student, or anyone looking to catch an interesting glimpse into an artist's thought process should pick up this film.<br />
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<span m="22750"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-68989688803910714122014-10-13T08:29:00.001-07:002014-10-13T08:29:20.323-07:00A Few UpdatesOkay, so I am not very adept at utilizing social media, and am slow to get the ball rolling here as well, but this semester I am finally taking my Portfolio and Resume class, so I need to get my butt in gear! I have added a separate page here dedicated to my trimmed down and properly flowing portfolio. The pieces chosen are the most recent and relevant, placed in an order that makes sense- there is actually a narrative that I could include, and perhaps one day I will, but for now I will let it speak for itself.<br />
Also, I am excited about a new group I am part of on Facebook- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/sarahpstreetteam/" target="_blank">Sarah's Street Gang</a>. This is not mine, but Sarah Pekkanen's Street Team group. Way back when I first started this blog I was also working on getting books for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/185139744835945/" target="_blank">302nd Bookworms</a> I sent an email to Sarah requesting some copies of The Opposite of Me. She was awesome, keeping me posted about getting some from her publisher. With crazy shipping restriction, we couldn't get the books, but she did send us All Is Bright- her just released short story. As part of her "Street Gang," I get to virtually hang out with other awesome fans and continue to share her books.<br />
I am such a book nerd, and still hope to one day have the time to do some paintings inspired by some of my favorite books. So many projects, so little time! Well, I am learning a bit about oil painting at the moment, so expect to see another twist in my paintings as I find a way to integrate it! Since I have been working on my Tyrion in Different Media series, looks like I have to throw another one in there. I will leave you with it's current progress. So far, Watercolor/ Mixed Media, and about half way through silverpoint.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-91195692582408194332014-09-25T18:15:00.000-07:002014-09-25T18:15:19.119-07:00Portfolio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Class is in session, so I had to create another blog. Ugh. Anyway, this is for my portfolio, so here it is in all of it's glory!<br />
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http://sarahspalsburyportfolio.blogspot.com/</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-27422081209248512592014-04-25T09:59:00.002-07:002014-04-25T09:59:57.161-07:00Portraits of Another StyleOkay, so I'm still not totally comfortable looking through the lens, and found this to be especially so in taking portraits. I LOVE portraits. That is, to draw and paint them. Taking photo portraits was a little difficult for me. I tried to think of how I like a composition set up for a drawing, and that didn't really work. I like snapshots, and I like closeups; unfortunately, they are hard to get at the same time.<br />
These first photos were taken at <a href="http://oasissocialministry.wordpress.com/our-services/" target="_blank">Oasis Union Ministry</a> where my Art Therapy class was doing a mandala mural project.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3fmJ-LfCj3o/U1qQSL_3bmI/AAAAAAAAA0A/3oKQRMlTAxs/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait1_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3fmJ-LfCj3o/U1qQSL_3bmI/AAAAAAAAA0A/3oKQRMlTAxs/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait1_5.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-faaQwDFUgzE/U1qQ67xPrwI/AAAAAAAAA2A/MxClm2_SF6Q/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait1_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-faaQwDFUgzE/U1qQ67xPrwI/AAAAAAAAA2A/MxClm2_SF6Q/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait1_1.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ts-2P2RZtRU/U1qQQJh73uI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/LdnQzx6OYD0/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait2_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ts-2P2RZtRU/U1qQQJh73uI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/LdnQzx6OYD0/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait2_1.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpdeNJJzXzM/U1qQQZoIeWI/AAAAAAAAAzY/2I_pDGWi2wk/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait2_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpdeNJJzXzM/U1qQQZoIeWI/AAAAAAAAAzY/2I_pDGWi2wk/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait2_2.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jj_g5f6l_Sg/U1qQQtplzwI/AAAAAAAAAzs/Xh3KMnAYeWU/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait2_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jj_g5f6l_Sg/U1qQQtplzwI/AAAAAAAAAzs/Xh3KMnAYeWU/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait2_3.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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I then took some playful shots of Rudd at work. I love how this first one came out.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D6ieKcStqno/U1qQSKFCrBI/AAAAAAAAAz4/wuoH-DI-UF8/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait3_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D6ieKcStqno/U1qQSKFCrBI/AAAAAAAAAz4/wuoH-DI-UF8/s1600/SpalsburyS_Portrait3_1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Vito in his truck. I liked the grittier look, so when I edited I tried to enhance that feel.</div>
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Finally, training and resting at the Home Depot.</div>
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Good practice for when I one day I have time to do more drawing. I would definitely like to do more original compositions. </div>
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Next project: Series! I am excited for this one. Potentially heading back to the <a href="http://norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/" target="_blank">Gardens</a>!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-13319989686114088012014-04-18T09:29:00.000-07:002014-04-18T09:29:08.864-07:00From There to HereSo I just read through all of my previous posts, as I have always done every so often with all of my different blogs, journals, on back to diary entries as a kid. It has never failed to amuse me how my focus changes over time. Not very drastically for the most part, but enough to make me sometimes wonder "what was I thinking?!" I am still bummed that the For Your Service project crashed and burned the way it did. To explain in completely, I'll start from the beginning. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dxspvwl9GhE/U1FMqAv_IzI/AAAAAAAAAxw/_wrzaWa5Do4/s1600/263245_655121447837904_235457614_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dxspvwl9GhE/U1FMqAv_IzI/AAAAAAAAAxw/_wrzaWa5Do4/s1600/263245_655121447837904_235457614_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
For a while, I had been running a <a href="http://animoto.com/play/UhS9zCs1h1zOxfeui5mxHA?utm_source=&utm_medium=player&utm_campaign=player" target="_blank">Free Monthly Portrait</a> contest. At one point, I got this idea that it should be bigger than it was, and should mean more. I created a Facebook page, then proceeded to reach out to other military pages to help spread the work. That first day, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/usawtfm?fref=nf" target="_blank">US ArmyWTF Moments</a> shared my inquiry and within hours I had over 500 "likes." I was super stoked, and got to work on a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dustjacketstudios/for-your-service" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> page and set up the details. People started posting photos and showing support. Unfortunately, it soon became clear and extremely frustrating that most people don't really read or pay attention to posts. I didn't want to hurt feelings or come across as negative in any way, but I had specific ideas for what the project encompassed and what I was looking for in subjects. I n=know I went about it wrong in some aspects, as it took off before I really had it all planned out. I got ahead of myself, then it was at a standstill.<br />
On top of it all, when my next semester started, I had almost no time for anything outside of work and school. I dropped the project mainly because I didn't know how to revive it properly; and getting people to not only pay attention and participate, but understand what the project even consisted of was beyond frustrating. It's like being a fan of a book you've never read or a movie you've never seen- people blindly clicked "like," half read posts at best, then promptly forgot any of it ever existed. If I ever try it again, it will most likely not include any sort of Facebook campaigning.<br />
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:(<br />
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I know I will continue to stumble onto inspiration and take off on crazy new projects, but at least now I have a better idea what will work out and what will not. I have gotten much better at turning down commissions that are outside of my skill set (which is unfortunately most of them) but I'd rather do something I do well and enjoy than make promises and turn out something I am disappointed in. I have always spent so much time on a piece, that even when it came out mediocre, I settled for it. I am working on my scrap bin, where I am keeping all of my rejects from the world. Just like I<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293913/" target="_blank">sland of Misfit Toys</a>, there may be nothing wrong with them per say, but they are just not quite right. I think of pieces of mine that I settled for, and I cringe at the thought that it is out there.<br />
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I have even created a short tutorial to explain what I accept in a submission. It makes it easier to reject something if I have specific guidelines.<br />
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It's basic, but gets the main points across.<br />
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For now, I am sticking with portraits. I have really come to love silverpoint, and have done several portraits with it over the last few months. Taking drawing and watercolor classes have really expanded my range, but I always go back to portraits. <br />
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Current work in progress:<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-15385238444290260242014-04-18T07:23:00.002-07:002014-04-18T07:26:20.129-07:00A Day at the BeachBack to back posts. yes, I'm catching up. This next group was done over a couple of weeks. I spent one day at <a href="http://www.nps.gov/fomr/index.htm" target="_blank">Fort Monroe</a> with Mike and his Labrador Rose. It was one of those fluke Sundays with 70 degree and sunny weather- then turned around and snowed the next day. Once again, my luck prevailed. The assignment here was <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/?s=depth+of+field" target="_blank">Depth of Field</a>. <br />
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There were lots more that didn't make the cut, but these were the final images turned in for class.<br />
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A couple of weekends later my parents came down and we toured around the <a href="http://historyisfun.org/index.htm" target="_blank">Historical Triangle</a>. Most shots I got here didn't fit the assignment, so I only turned in a couple.<br />
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The man fishing was my absolute favorite. He had been camped there relaxing all day, and the sun was just setting behind him. <br />
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I found that the shallow depth worked wonderfully for botanical shots. I took several pictures in the greenhouse at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Yes, I like to put my subjects in corners :/<br />
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My final shot came from a session I tried in the grow room ( aka garage) with Brenda's African Violets. She has mentioned how difficult it is capturing the true colors of petals, especially blues. I didn't have any luck with it, either. I tried every white balance setting to no avail, and Photoshop made them awful. While the colors weren't spot on, they were all still very pretty.</div>
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This one didn't make the cut for class, but I like it, so I'm gonna share it here anyway! If you ever find yourself in Hampton Roads, the historic Jamestown settlement is great for a nice relaxing day of walking and history!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-24468192847363975082014-04-18T06:52:00.000-07:002014-04-18T07:42:54.903-07:00A Sense of MotionWhile learning how to take motion photographs was fun, it was definitely challenging. (I suck at panning.) We had 3 different methods, to include <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/mastering-panning-to-photograph-moving-subjects/" target="_blank">panning</a>, <a href="http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/02/when-time-freezes-50-beautiful-examples-of-freeze-photography/" target="_blank">frozen</a>, and <a href="http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/08/24/45-beautiful-motion-blur-photos/" target="_blank">blur</a> images. My schedule is jam packed between work, school, duty, and the daily must-do stuff around the house. I did manage to make it to the <a href="http://norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/" target="_blank">Norfolk Botanical Gardens </a>(I was there for a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/TidewaterAVS/" target="_blank">TAVS</a> meeting anyway, so I got lucky)<br />
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Capturing the water droplets was definitely the most challenging and time consuming. If I ever try this one again, I will definitely use a solid color background instead. I figured the pattern would be a bit more blurry- especially considering the aperture was set at 1.8. Lesson learned. Before this class, I never realized just how much time went into photography, as in when you have something specific you want to shoot and a particular look you want.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-16376896328677332512014-03-28T09:20:00.003-07:002014-03-28T09:24:18.169-07:00Over the River and Through the WoodsBreathing life back into this blog. This semester I am taking Photography 101 and seeing how even the basics I learned about composition and design come in very handy here. My first photo shoot was at Fort Eustis during land navigation training. The premise was to shoot subjects farther away, then progressively closer. This project was a fun and simple way to get used to looking through the camera lens instead of looking for the intimate subjects I usually like to draw.<br />
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Here are my final submissions.<br />
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Being an overcast and chilly day, I think it worked out pretty well that the final photos had to be submitted in black and white. There were a few others I really liked as well, but have learned the hard lesson of editing out what won't fit in a series.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-30282258765711527572013-08-03T17:28:00.001-07:002013-08-03T17:28:57.751-07:00First Portrait With votes topping out at 249, this is the winning photograph for my For Your Service project. With limited information to go on, I have gone ahead and started the first painting. I'm thinking of my own experience heading toward Afghanistan. After the commercial flights with everyone where it was a little easier to feel normal, we separated off on military flights where the whole idea of where we were heading began to feel much more real. Thoughts of what would greet us when we landed kept spinning through my head. Looking around, most soldiers had their eyes closed. Ahead was a year of unknown, but we were ready.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LJrRjZkYVsA/Uf2ZIIEbTAI/AAAAAAAAAo4/bq8lAegxqBg/s1600/Seth+King+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LJrRjZkYVsA/Uf2ZIIEbTAI/AAAAAAAAAo4/bq8lAegxqBg/s320/Seth+King+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For Your Service is about all of those moments we as U.S. military service members go through. I continue to have hope that this project will be successful. I am not at all good at marketing or figuring out how to spread the word. I paint- that is what I do, but I am doing what I can to keep this project alive. I am hoping that as I do this first portrait, it will shed a little light on the project for those that are "following" that haven't looked into what it is really about.</div>
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I have pursued my art projects all in my free time, and with a full time job, full time school, the Army Reserve, and everything else a mortgage and car payment entail, there is very little time left. I recently listed a few older pieces and some new Minis! on <a href="http://myworld.ebay.com/dustjacketstudios/">Ebay </a>to fund the project, but nothing has come of it so far. Selling online hasn't been a lucrative avenue for a few years, but I thought it was worth a shot.</div>
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I will continue to post updates on the project here, as well as on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ForYourServiceProject">Facebook </a>page.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-41543598936851304752013-07-15T08:02:00.000-07:002013-07-15T08:02:09.830-07:00For Your Service FAQ<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How do
I submit photos?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Post photos on the For Your Service Facebook wall. Please include some history of the subject or
the story behind the photo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How do
I invite friends to the page?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Click the “share” link in the drop down menu just
underneath the cover photo on the right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
kind of picture can I post?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Any personal photo of a uniformed U.S. service member, from
any branch any time. Mainly, it cannot
be a photo that is copyrighted by anyone other than yourself. Each subject, or submitter of the winning
photo depending on circumstances, will sign a release giving all rights to the
painting and any duplicates to the artist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
is the purpose of this project?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I initiated this project as a way of honoring our American
military. Being a member of the USAR, an OEF veteran, and in school working
toward my degree in Art Therapy, this project is very dear to me, and I chose
this method of sharing personal stories of our veterans through their portraits
that many not associated with the military may never see. For the most part, the news shows either one
extreme or the other- the best and worst examples of our men and women in
uniform.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This project will highlight the majority, the everyday “Joe”
if you will. Having the main platform on
Facebook opens this project up to the largest audience of soldiers and their
supporters as well as patrons of the arts.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Does
the winner/subject get the painting?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The subject and/or submitter will get a full-sized
duplicate of the painting, but the original will remain with the series as it
travels to art shows, fairs, and wherever else pops up as appropriate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Will
the paintings be for sale?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No. This is a
personal project. Not just for me, but
for those submitting the photos and the subjects of those photos. Prints, postcards, and other media featuring
the portraits will be for sale, and all profits from this project will go right
back into funding its continuation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
is the donated money and profits stemming from this project used for exactly?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This will eventually be a traveling series, heading to art
fairs and being submitting to galleries.
On top of entry fees and advertising, prints and other media will need
to be purchased in bulk to offer them at a lower price to you. Also, I will be
working on a book that chronicles the project, shares other submitted photos
and stories, and provides more info on other ways the military and arts
community work together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How
are winners chosen?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Each month I will create an album on the Facebook page featuring
all submitted photos. Winner will be
chosen by popular vote- the photo with the most “likes” wins. The best way to increase your photos chances
is by tagging yourself and/or subject in it, sharing it, and getting your
friends to share and “like” it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How
can I help?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a link to Donate on my blog <a href="http://livingartloud.blogspot.com/">http://livingartloud.blogspot.com/</a> Donations of $10 or more will receive 10%
off of any commissioned portrait and a postcard featuring any piece you choose
from my current gallery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Main project page is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForYourServiceProject<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-86014693373563455252013-07-08T18:09:00.000-07:002013-07-10T21:58:11.695-07:00FOR YOUR SERVICE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-naTPTIwXra4/Ud47VzEx1XI/AAAAAAAAAoc/qbwz34W3QyM/s1600/574614_10151453906323597_434916775_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-naTPTIwXra4/Ud47VzEx1XI/AAAAAAAAAoc/qbwz34W3QyM/s320/574614_10151453906323597_434916775_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Since my GeoCities site won't allow me to have a Paypal button, I am going to have it here. ---><br />
I believe in this project, and insist on keeping it alive. the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ForYourServiceProject">For Your Service</a> Facebook page will be where most of the action is, but donations will be directed here. Any questions or comments, just message me through the Facebook page!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-89772453638060622442012-05-03T15:03:00.001-07:002012-05-03T15:04:02.179-07:00Art That PopsIt has been awhile since I mentioned it- it has been a busy semester. I also only just got this back. Here is my paper for my English class describing some basic techniques for fun paintings that anyone can do.<br />
Next time I get around to it, I might add some step be step pictures to make it better as a tutorial.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Art That Pops<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> You
don’t have to be an award-winning artist to create a stunning piece of art that
can be just as fulfilling to create as it is to give. Remember when you were a child and your mother
always said that the gifts she cherished most were those made by hand? How about that elaborate construction paper
valentine you made for your grade school crush that you were so proud of? Most people abandoned making these crafted
gifts by adulthood and opted for retail gift cards or the latest gadget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> For
whatever reason, you have decided to put the love and care back into gift
giving for someone special to you. Only
now you are intimidated by the idea of attempting such a project when you are
unsure you can create to the standard you would like it to be. As adults we also realize that putting so
much of ourselves into such an undertaking may expose us to a point where we
feel vulnerable. Don’t let a fear of
rejection or lack of self confidence get in your way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Here
you are, having screwed up your courage, ready to begin your painting. That was step one. Now, think about the person it is intended
for. For this example, let us assume
your mother’s birthday is coming soon and you really want to surprise her with
something that expresses your love and appreciation. What is her favorite color; where do you
think she will display your art?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> When
considering a canvas, bear in mind that it doesn’t have to literally be a
canvas. You can paint on just about
anything. A great place to start might
be a thrift store, flea market, or some local garage sales. Repurposing items and recycling old art
prints is a great way to save money, have an interesting canvas, and be
environmentally friendly. Before you
begin, make sure the surface is clean.
You may want to apply a coat of primer to ensure good adhesion of your
paint, depending on your material.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Any
space that has ample room and is comfortable will do as a studio. Be aware when
using certain materials, such as spray paint or paint thinner, you will need
adequate ventilation. A space that will
accommodate any possible mess should also be considered. For these reasons, sometimes the best studio
is the great outdoors. Simply set up a
table in your own backyard. This is an
ideal place to allow you the freedom of many different application techniques
as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Begin
by placing your canvas flat down on the table.
Let us say you decide on a palette of warm, earthy tones. First, apply a coat of bright yellow. How you apply the base coat is
inconsequential; spray it, sponge, brush, pour, ect. Remember one of the main reasons you made
things as a kid was simply because it was fun.
Once your base coat dries you can move on to adding texture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Look
around you. What is available? Sometimes the most unexpected things can
create the most interesting texture. A
leaf is a very common element used in creating dimension in a background. There are several ways to use leaves. To tone down the bright yellow base, spread a
generous amount of a darker yellow or light brown paint on the leaf. Now, using the leaf as a stamp, press it onto
your canvas. Do this several times, keeping
as much or as little paint on the leaf as you like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> This
can either complete your background, or you can continue adding textures using
different materials and different colors until you are satisfied with it. Just make sure the background is still light
enough for your subject to stand out. For
your subject to be prominent, use a darker color such as black or dark
brown. The main thing about a painting
like this is that a more basic subject usually works best.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Your
subject doesn’t necessarily have to be painted, either. If you do not feel you have the artistic
ability to paint a tree silhouette or portrait as your main focus, then
don’t. That original leaf you used to
stamp your background is most likely sopped in paint. Simply find another one that is pleasing to
the eye and slather it with a deep, chocolate brown. Place the leaf carefully on your canvas and
press down all of the edges until the entire leaf has reached the canvas. Peel the leaf off, and there you have your
subject. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> This
is an easy method that anyone can follow and start creating their own stunning
artwork that can be thoroughly a joy to make.
You can alter this method as much as you want as you get more practiced,
or dismiss it altogether. Take this as a
starting point, and be well on your way to proving that anyone can be a
great artist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012884800416533871.post-18278663536561959572012-02-16T15:48:00.000-08:002012-02-16T15:48:15.613-08:00Holy Wow! An Update!The lack of posts is due to finally being back in school full time, though for my English class I have had to start a new blog : <a href="http://dustjacketstudio.blogspot.com/">http://dustjacketstudio.blogspot.com/</a> I am working on a paper for class right now, too, in which I will be explaining the process I go through when doing my paintings. If I am satisfied with the final paper, I will be posting it here in a couple weeks!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14911069433474277630noreply@blogger.com0